BY JIMMY GILLIGAN | Sports Editor | The Statesman The Bulldog football team’s depth is crucial to their success. Not just in this weekend’s homecoming game against St. Cloud State, but throughout the rest of the season as bumps and bruises inevitably mount.
In a physically demanding game, a capable replacement is crucial to any team’s long-term success. Of course, it also helps to have a dual-threat star quarterback.
Without star running back Logan Lauters last week, UMD displayed their depth in a dominating 47-14 win over Minnesota-State Moorhead.
“In last Saturday’s game we played a few guys that haven’t taken a lot of snaps in a Bulldog uniform. I don’t think as a team we can ever be deep enough, but in the same sense I think the guys that have had a chance to step up and play have made the most of their opportunities,” head coach Curt Wiese said.
Once fully healthy, the Bulldogs will be as strong as ever. Talent hasn’t been the issue this season for UMD, but at some points mental mistakes have plagued them in key situations. They may have solved these woes against Minnesota-State Moorhead last week.
“Last week was as well-prepared and as focused as the team has been all year. They played for four quarters. We needed to win, and we needed to win in that fashion,” Wiese said.
The Bulldogs hope to be healthier as they head into their homecoming matchup with St. Cloud State. After missing the past seven quarters with an ankle injury, Lauters hopes to return to the backfield, one of many Bulldogs battling day-to-day injuries.
“None of those injuries are season-ending, but hopefully in a week or two here we can have a majority of our guys back,” Wiese said.
Both UMD and SCSU had exactly 555 yards of offense last week. But don’t expect a high-scoring shootout. The Bulldog defense is still one of the best in the NSIC, and they have an elite pass-stopper in senior Darion Fletcher.
Despite being the only Bulldog to sport bright gold sleeves under his uniform, opposing quarterbacks continue to throw at Fletcher, apparently not noticing UMD’s top cornerback.
“It’s a thing me and Darryl Brown did, we used to rock it together last year and it just sort of carried over,” Fletcher said of wearing gold.
Fletcher made his second interception of the season last week. He leads the team in solo tackles and is the core of the Bulldog secondary. His coverage abilities have led some to refer to his position on the field as “Fletcher Island,” a reference to star NFL cornerback Darrelle Revis’ “Revis Island.” Despite comparisons to the top-notch corner, Fletcher claims the Bulldogs’ defensive prowess begins with the defensive line and linebackers.
“It’s funny to hear Fletcher island, but at the end of the day it’s our front seven that makes our defense so good. With guys like John Harden, the QB has no time to read the coverage,” Fletcher said.
The Bulldog secondary will be busy Saturday facing SCSU quarterback Nate Meyer. He has averaged 243.2 passing yards per game this season, which ranks fifth among NSIC quarterbacks. Facing some tougher defenses, Bauer is eighth in this category with 200.2 yards.
But what makes Bauer one of the most dangerous offensive weapons in the NSIC is what he can do with his legs. With Lauters out last week, Bauer ran for 177 yards, averaging 6.8 yards per carry. He leads UMD this season with 476 yards rushing.
Lauters and Bauer are the cornerstones of the offense. But wide receiver/running back Beau Bofferding has been the catalyst. He has the most receptions among the receivers and leads UMD in all-purpose yards by a wide margin. He’s even completed two passes this season.
“Beau’s been a very dynamic player for us on the offensive side. He’s kind of a multi-purpose guy. He’s been a sparkplug for us offensively, as we gameplan each week that we make sure we get the football in his hands as much as we can.”
With both teams at 3-2, the winner of Saturday’s matchup has the best shot to win the NSIC North Division title.
“If you look at anybody on our schedule, St. Cloud State is probably our biggest rival, traditionally. They’re a good football program, and I think they’re much improved from last season,” Wiese said.